The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-04
JUDGE LYNCH'S LEVEE.


Three Boys and a Man Lynched for Out
raging n I2-Year Old Girl.
ECKERLY. IND, June 2--Three boys,
perpetrators of a hideous crime, were
hanged by a mob of men and boys near
this place last night. On Sunday morn
ing last Charles and Ray Davis, broth
ers, and it is believed third man, went
to the house of John Fannegrew "a farm
er, where they found no one at home
but Fannegrew's beautiful little twelve
year-old daughter. They asked for a
drink of water, which the innocent and
unsuspecting child cheerfuIly furnished.
One of the boys then tried To kiss and
embrace her, but she repelled him and
endeavored to make her escape. She
was seized by the ruffians, and, nOtwith-
standing her struggles and screams, was
was borne to the orchard. There the
boys tied her to an apple tree.
Next morning Fannegrew found the
girl gagged, bound and delirIOus, but
able after a while to give some account
of the crime of which she had been the
victim and to describe tn g miscreants.
Fannegrew summoned his neighbors,
and party of grim farmers and several
boys set out in pursuit of the criminals.
The party was armed with clubs, guns
and pitchforks. With the aid of blood
hounds the scOundrels were tracked to
their hiding place in the woods back of
Fannegrew' S residence. The Davis broth
ers were found in company with John
Enslow, believed to have been an accom-
plice. The three were bound taken to the
scene of their crime, identified by the
girl and hanged to the very tree to which
she had been tied.
While preparations for the triple trag
edy We're in progress, one of the Davis
boys managed to free himself from the
cords that bound him, and ran away,
unobserved. His absence was quickly
discovered, and searching party went
after him. Just after dark he was found
concealed under a house, and dragged
out by the infuriated mob. He was ter
rified and quaking with fear. He was
securely strapped to a horse and driven
back to the spot where the girl had suf-
fered- He begged for mercy, but his
cries Were unheeded. He was taken
from the horse, his hands tied behind
him, and was given two minutes in
which to pray. He availed himself of
the time allowed, and at the expiration
of it stout sapling was bent down, "A
short rope tied to the top, with the other
end about Davis neck.
Six men held down the tree and
when it was released it flew back into
position and Davis was jerked twenty
feet into the air. The force threw him
| over the top of the tree and as the rope
| brought him up short on the other side
| his heck was broken. The body was rid
died with bullets by the crowd and was
allowed to hang there until yesterday
morning, when it was cut down by his
father and given burial.
None of tine lynchers wore masks, and
no arrests have been made.
| LOUISVILLE, June 3.-Later reports
| from Eckert, Ind, where the Davis boys
were lynched for abducting and brutally
assaulting Miss Fannegrew, say that
VIM. Kellam, father-in-law of one of the
Davis boys, was lynched at the same
| time. 1t is also reported that the mob
went to the house of Enslow, mother of
the Davis boys, and dragged away An
drew Enslow, younger son of the old
woman. His body has not been found
and the lynchers will not tell what was
done with h'n. Miss Fannegrew is re-